Scripture Application & Leadership Training SALT THE SALT PROJECT Revision 2013 1
SALT Topic Outlines GOD & PEOPLE page 1. Why and How We Seek and Search for Truth... 4 2. God Loves Us Like a Good Father... 7 3. What God is Like... 10 4. What God s Actions are Like... 13 5. How We Become a Better Friend of God... 16 6. God Made Us with a Design and Purpose... 20 7. God Gave Laws to Us Because He Loves Us... 23 OUR SINFUL NATURE & SATAN 8. Why Do We Sin?... 27 9. The Result of Our Sin... 30 10. Who Satan Is and How He Works... 32 SALVATION 11. We See God s Grace in Salvation... 36 12. What Salvation Is... 38 CHRISTIAN LIFE & LEADERSHIP 13. The Marks of a Christian... 42 14. This is How to Overcome the Enemy... 45 15. We Should Live in a Holy Way... 48 16. How We Can Stop Sinful Habits... 52 17. The Reasons Why We Should Forgive... 56 18. How We Live as a Christian Family... 60 19. Our Future... 63 20. How to Prepare and Give Messages... 66 Word list... 68 Poster guide... 72 2
GOD & PEOPLE 3
Lesson 1: WHY AND HOW WE SEEK AND SEARCH FOR TRUTH Most important thought: Our beliefs affect the way that we live. Not everybody knows this. We must test that which we believe. The Bible is the absolute truth. Therefore, we must use the Bible to test our beliefs. In this way, God s truth will control our lives. Jesus is the only person on earth who has perfect truth! 1. People who have truth and those without truth need to seek to find and get it. 1.1. Non-Christians have many false beliefs. Read: Romans 1:18, 21; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11; [Psalm 14:1] 1.2. The dangers of non-christian philosophy Paul tells the Christians in Colossae about the danger of non-christian philosophy. Non- Christian philosophy can make people believe that which is not true. Paul was telling Christians this. It can happen that Christians believe lies (false beliefs). Read Colossians 2:8; [1 John 2:26] 1.3. Sincere *worship God is looking for people who *worship him in a genuine manner. He is looking for people who are offering sincere *worship to him. Genuine and sincere *worship requires truth. Read: John 4:23-24 1.4. Truth instead of lies As Christians, we are learning more about God. We are also learning how to live as Christians. With God s help we will discover what lies we believe. With His help we will discover that our beliefs are not perfect. Therefore, we must remove these lies and wrong ideas. Instead, we must have truth. Read: Colossians 1:9-10; 2 Peter 3:17-18 1.5. Truth in the Bible Christians need to seek and search for truth in the Bible. The truth in the Bible will help us to remove lies and wrong ideas. Read: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 2. A man without truth shall seek and find it in God s Word: Then you will know the truth. And the truth will make you free. John 8:32 Non-Christians are not free because they have false beliefs. New Christians often still have many false beliefs. Therefore, it is possible that new Christians are not completely free. Even people who have been Christians for a long time at times have false beliefs. Jesus is the only person on earth who has perfect truth. 3. It is important to find God s truth because ideas will have results. Roots! Tree! Fruit Ideas! Choice! Actions 4
3.1. The roots of a tree affect its fruit. In the same way, our beliefs about God affect the way that we live. 3.2. Truth and false beliefs (deception) have two different results: Truth! We are free! We have peace John 10:10 Deception (false beliefs)! We are not free! We suffer 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 Non-Christian All of us have seen people with sad lives. They damage their own lives and they hurt other people (Poster 1: tree on the left) New Christian Even when we become Christians, we may believe many lies. We may believe lies about God and about how He deals with people (Poster 1: tree in the middle). Mature Christian Even people who have been Christians for a long time have the potential of following/believing some lies. No one has perfect knowledge. Everybody has some false beliefs. Only God has perfect truth. Christians read their Bible to remove those lies (Poster 1: tree on the right). 4. Truth changes us. The truth about Jesus changes one person. Then, it can change many more people. The truth of the Bible has changed whole villages and countries. The good news about Jesus changes one person. The new Christian starts telling other people about Jesus. And they teach them to follow God. This is called making *disciples. Matthew 28:18-20 *Disciples help other people to follow God. 5. In small groups read one passage. Then answer these questions: Read: John 8:31-32; John 14:6-7; Galatians 5:7-10; [John 8:44-45; Hosea 4:6] What do these *verses say about truth? What does it mean to know Jesus? What do these *verses say about your life? How should your life be different? 6. What truth is : Truth describes reality correctly. Truth is how things really are! 7. The Bible is important. It is important to read the Bible well. As a result, we will find truth. Be ready to learn (like the Christians in Berea). How did the people of Berea determine if Paul was teaching the truth? Acts 17:10-12 Be a good worker who teaches and explains the truth in the Bible. 2 Timothy 2:15 All that is in the Bible came from God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 God s truth in the Bible is powerful. Hebrews 4:12 The *Holy Spirit will help. (The *Holy Spirit will guide you, so that you will know the truth.) John 14:26, John 16:13 Teach others about the truth. Then they will also teach other people. 2 Timothy 2:2 5
8. What wisdom is If you know God s truth, you must use it in your life. It is dangerous not to use God s truth. 8.1. Wisdom is to use God s truth in your life. Read Luke 8:16-18. 8.2. Read what Jesus says about the wise and foolish men in Matthew 7:24-27. 6
Lesson 2: GOD LOVES US LIKE A GOOD FATHER Most important thought: God looks after us as a father. It is very important for us to know this. This lesson shows us God desires to be close to His children. Also, God wants human fathers to be an example for us. Our fathers should show us what God the Father is like. But human fathers can give us wrong ideas about God. Then we do not understand God the Father s character in a right way. We discussed the false beliefs about God in Lesson 1. We need to replace any incorrect ideas about God. 1. God the Father loves us with a great love (Poster 2a) Read: 1 John 3:1 Note: In this book the heart represents two different things. On the Poster 2a heart means love. On the Posters 9a and 9b heart represents the inner person (*liver, stomach, bel bilong yu.) 2. The role of a father is this: to show and teach his children what God the Father is like. Read: Ephesians 6:4; [Deuteronomy 6:4-7] 3. A father or mother may be a bad example. When we become Christians, we might think God is like our father or mother. At first, we can think about God in the same way that we think about people with authority. This may not be the right way. So, we must allow God to correct our ideas. Then, we will know God better. We will find out who He really is. Now we will think of some of the ways our earthly fathers can cause us, by their actions, to think wrongly of our Heavenly Father. 3.1. An angry father: This makes us think that he is always unhappy with us. 3.2. A father who gives his children everything: He may give us things even if we are not ready for them. This may make us think that we should have everything we want. 3.3. A distant father: This makes us think that he is always busy. He has no interest in our problems or in what we really need. 3.4. A father who punsishes his children to be perfect: We can never do enough to please him. 4. We must replace any wrong ideas about God that we may have. We can replace the wrong ideas by means of Bible study. (Poster 2b) 4.1. In Luke 15 Jesus taught about God s kingdom. Jesus gives us three stories to explain God s kingdom. God s kingdom shows us God s character. Those three stories are there, but now we will only look at one of them. In Luke 15:11-32 Jesus tells a story. This story shows us God the Father s character. These are the things we can see: He loves us completely. He wants to forgive us. He waits for us. He is happy when we are sorry because of our *sins. 7
He will never forget us. He has *compassion and *mercy on us. 4.2. In Romans 8:15-17 we see that we can have a relationship with Him and that we can call Him: Abba Father. (This means Daddy Father.) 5. Two different reactions. Read Luke 15:11-32. Answer the following questions in small groups. In Luke 15:11-32 we see two reactions to the younger brother s return. The father had one reaction. The older brother had a different reaction. 5.1. These *verses show a good father s character. Answer these questions: What is the father like? What did he do? 5.2. Say what the older brother s reaction was. What is the older brother like? What did he do? 5.3. Say what you think about God: Is God angry? Is God too generous? Is God distant? Does God expect us to be perfect? 5.4. Look at the love that Jesus talks about in Luke 15. Is that love different from your ideas about the way that God loves us? If it is different, take time to read all of Luke 15. Then you will see why Jesus told these stories. 6. God loves us like a good father. 6.1. God has chosen us. 1 Peter 2:9 says: You are the people whom God chose 6.2. God has adopted us. Eph. 1:5 says that God has adopted Christians. So Christians have certain benefits because they are God s children. 6.3. Love includes discipline. Hebrews 12:6-11 says that we should carry on with life. We should continue even when life is difficult. We should think of this as discipline because God uses discipline with all His true sons and daughters. 6.4. God sees and knows us. Psalm 139:13-16 says: God, you made me grow in my mother's *womb 6.5. God looks after those who cannot defend themselves. God is the father of those who have no father. He gives help to women whose husbands have died (Psalm 68:5) 6.6. God does not forget us. [God said], Can a mother forget the baby at her breast? Can she have no love for the child that came from inside her body? Yes, these [mothers] may forget, but never will I forget you. (Isaiah 49:15) 6.7. God has a plan for our life. I want to do many good things for you (Jeremiah 29:11) 8
Note: People wrote this book to provide more study for any person or group. Therefore, some sections may not be talked about in the course. Also, the Bible sections that appear inside [brackets] provide extra study. Any person or group that studies these will understand better. This extra study will encourage them. Also, do not neglect reading the Bible in public. Paul told Timothy to do that: Read the Bible aloud to the people. Teach them to understand and to obey the message about Christ. (1 Timothy 4:13b) In some places you will see three dots ( ). This means that it is not a complete *verse. 9
Lesson 3: WHAT GOD IS LIKE Most important thought: In this lesson, we look at what God is like. We will look at that which the Bible teaches about God. He has no beginning or end. He has made everything. He has power over everything. He knows everything. God is everywhere. No one can see Him. God cares about people. In addition, this lesson tells us what the Bible teaches with regard to another truth about God. God is one God in three parts: Father, Son and *Holy Spirit. In English, we call this the *Trinity. This is a very important truth. Many groups, which do not believe this truth, teach false ideas about God. God is great and awesome. We can fall into error if we do not understand this. Jesus spoke of the power of God. Matt.22:29 Those in His presence give all the honour and glory to God. Rev. 15:3-4 [also: 1 Tim. 1:17; Rom 11:33-36; Ps. 96:5-10; Ps. 104:31-33; Isa. 40:12-18] We see God s greatness. Rev. 1:12-18, Rev. 4 [Acts 4:31; Isa. 6:1-5; Ex. 33:18-23] 1. God has no beginning and no end. (Poster 3a) God is *eternal. This means He has no beginning or end. Read: Rev. 22:13; Rev. 1: 8; 1 Timothy 1:17; [Psalm 90:2-6; Psalm 93:2] 2. God made everything. No one made God. Read: Colossians 1:15-16; [John 1:1-3; Genesis 1:1] 3. He has power over everything. He is able to do all things. When Abram was 99 years old, the *Lord appeared in front of him. The *Lord said, I am God who can do anything... (Genesis 17:1) Read: Romans 1:20; Matthew 19:26 Examples from the *New Testament: Read: Luke 8:22-25; Luke 11:14-23; Luke 5:17-26 Examples from the *Old Testament: Joshua: Joshua 10:12-13. Hezekiah: 2 Kings 20:9-11. Moses: Exodus 14:21-31. 4. God knows everything. He sees everything. He knows all that there is to know. Read: Romans 11:33-34; Hebrews 4:13; [1 Corinthians 1:25; Psalm 139:1-4] 5. God is everywhere. He is everywhere at all times. God holds all things together. Read: Ps. 139:7-12; Hebrews 4:13; [Jeremiah 23:23-24] Example from the *Old Testament: Jonah: Jonah 1:3; Jonah 2:1-2a. 6. No one sees God. God is *Spirit. Read: John 6:46; John 1:18; [John 4:24; Col. 1:15, 19; Hebr. 1:3] 10
7. God cares for people. He wants to be our friend. He wants to have a relationship with us that involves our mind, will and emotions. Read: Mark 1:11; John 15:15; Galatians 4:4-7. 8. God is one God who is in three persons. (Poster 3b) The Bible describes God as one God, yet three persons. These three persons are Father, Son, and *Holy Spirit. All parts of the Bible write about this truth. Every time that Jesus speaks of His Father He refers to this fact. In Hebrews 1:5-9 God the Father speaks about His Son: Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever (Hebrews 1:8). Here, God the Father calls Jesus God. Whatever God says is true. This is important. Many groups teach false ideas about the *Trinity. In this way, they leave the Christian belief. Example: A tree has roots, branches, and leaves. It has three parts but is one. If there were only leaves, it would not be a complete tree. If there were only branches, it would not be a complete tree. If there were only roots, it would not be a complete tree. For a tree to be complete it must have all three: roots, branches, and leaves. It is three, yet one. 8.1. Description of the *Trinity in the *Old Testament (note the underlined words are plural): Hear, O Israel: The *Lord (Jehovah) our God (Elohim) is one *Lord (Jehovah). (Deuteronomy 6:4) Then God said, Let us make people in our image, that is, like ourselves. (Genesis 1:26) And the *Lord God said, The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:22) Come let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. (Genesis 11:7) Then I heard the voice of the *Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? (Isaiah 6:8) 8.2. Description of the *Trinity in the *New Testament: 8.2.1. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus says: Go, make *disciples, *baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and *Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded. 8.2.2. Jesus told His *disciples to *baptize in the name of: Father Son *Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) 8.2.3. Compare this to Isaiah 48:11 where God says:...i refuse to be dishonoured. I will not share My praise with any other god. The honour that is due to God does not belong to anyone else. Jesus speaks of *baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and *Holy Spirit. These are all persons of the *Trinity. The phrase in the name of marks the authority and character of that person. Jesus would not have given this instruction if it did not honour God. If Father, Son, and *Holy Spirit 11
were not all God, this would not honour God. 8.2.4. At the *baptism of Jesus, the Father and *Holy Spirit are there. All three are there together. Matthew 3:16-17 8.2.5. Jesus talks about the *Trinity in John chapters 13 and 14. Jesus said that He is leaving. Then He said that His *disciples could not follow now. John 13:36. Philip said: Show us the Father. Jesus replied: If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. John 14:8-9 Jesus said: I will ask the Father, He will send another Counselor. John 14:16-17 Jesus tells them this other counselor is the *Holy Spirit. The Counselor, the *Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name... John 14:26 Jesus tells His followers...we [Jesus and the Father] will come to him and make our home with him. John 14:23 At first these things do not seem to make sense. The Father, Son, and *Holy Spirit all have a name but are one God. When the *Holy Spirit comes into a Christian s heart, all three persons of the *Trinity are there together. This is what Jesus is saying in John chapters 13 and 14. Father is is not is not God is is Son is not 8.2.6. The *Trinity comes together in three ways: * Purpose * Power * Love Read: 1 Corinthians 1:18, 24-25. Holy Spirit 12
Lesson 4: WHAT GOD S ACTIONS ARE LIKE Most important thought: The *New Testament tells us that Christians are God s children. God s children are to be like their Father. Lesson 3 described God s nature. We cannot achieve most of those qualities. (We do have relationships with other people like God does). So how are we to be like our Father in heaven? Our character is to grow more and more like God s character. 1. God is love. 1.1. God shows His love in everything that He does. Read: 1 John 4:9-10; [John 3:16-17] 1.2. Love chooses the maximum benefit for other people. Read: Philippians 2:2-8, [1 Corinthians 13:4-7] 1.3. Each member of the *Trinity shows love. 2 Cor. 13:14 (Tok Pidgin Bible vs 13) Father: Read: John 3:16; [2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 2:15] Jesus: Read: John 10:11; [John 15:9; Ephesians 3:17b-19; Romans 8:35-39] *Holy Spirit: Read: Romans 5:5; [Romans 15:30; Galatians 5:22-23] 2. People should follow God s example and choose to love. Read: Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 John 4:16-20; [1 Cor. 13:1-8, 13; 1 Cor. 16:14; 1 John 4:8-10] 3. Expressions of God s love 3.1. God s character qualities Out of God s heart of love comes each of His character qualities. 3.1.1. God is honest: He tells things as they really are. Read: Jer. 10: 10a; John 14:16-17 [Malachi 3:6; Psalm 89:34] 3.1.2. God is wise: He uses His knowledge with love. Read: James 3:17 [Jeremiah 51:15; 1 Corinthians 2:7-8; Mark 6:2] 3.1.3. God is *righteous: He always does what is good and right. Read: Hebrews 1:8-9; [Romans 2:6-8; Deuteronomy 32:4] 3.1.4. God is full of *mercy: He is good to those who do not deserve it. Read: Ephesians 2:4-5; [Titus 3:4-5; James 5:11; Psalm 86:5] 3.1.5. God is loyal: We can always depend on Him. Read: James 1:17; 2 Timothy 2:13 [1 Corinthians 1:9; Isaiah 49:15-16] 13
4. We are to imitate God. Ephesians 5:1-2 tells us to imitate God. 4.1. God is present everywhere. Think about whether we can imitate God in this way. The answer is no. 4.2. God knows everything. Think about whether we can know everything. The answer is no. 4.3. We have to imitate God. Think about how we can obey Ephesians 5:1-2. We cannot imitate God s nature. However, we must imitate God s character. 5. God s love 1 John 4:7-8; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 3:16-19 God s love is at the centre of His character. God s holiness joins His wisdom, *mercy and complete goodness. His goodness means He is completely loyal and honest. All these qualities working together mean that God is perfect. God s desire is to have a relationship with men and women. This is because God loves people. But there is a problem. God is perfect, but people are not perfect. How can a holy God relate with *sinful people? God loves people and He is holy. His *mercy and the fact that He is *righteous have equal importance. God forgives the wrong things that we do. This is because the qualities in His character work together. The qualities of God s character work together because He is holy and perfect. Later in this course we will talk more about how God forgives us. 6. God is holy. The Bible says God is light. This is a picture of God s moral purity. Read: 1 John 1:5 Holiness is love. It is perfect love. God s holiness, wisdom, and love are all connected. Read: James 3:17 6.1. Holiness is to be separate. To be separate is to be different from the world. Read: Revelation 21:1-2, 22-23, 27 14
6.2. Holiness is *clean and pure. Read: Matthew 17:1-7 [Ephesians 1:4; Psalm 24:3-4] 6.3. God wants us to be holy. God is holy. He wants us to be like Him. Read: 1 Peter 1:15-16; Hebrews 12:14; Matthew 5:48 6.4. God promises to produce holiness in us. Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Hebrews 10:10 6.5. We work together with God to make the changes. Read: Philippians 2:12-13; [Romans 8:28-29] 6.6. Jesus describes this working together: Read: Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus says that it is easy to work together like this. Jesus shares the work of following Him. For the *yoke to be easy, both you and Jesus must pull in the same direction. 15
Lesson 5: HOW WE BECOME A BETTER FRIEND OF GOD Most important thought: We need to spend time with God to become a better friend of Him. That is how relationships grow. We need to pray and study the Bible. We need to pray and be with other Christians. In this lesson, we will look at how we can become a better friend of God. 1. This is the reason that God created us: He wants to have a close relationship with us for His glory. 1.1. Jesus talks about His very personal and close relationship with God. Read: John 15:9, 13-15, 17; John 10:30; [Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46] 1.2. God the Father talks about His close relationship with Jesus. Read: Matthew 3:16-17; [Matthew 17:1-6; John 12:27-28; Luke 3:21-22] 1.3. God wants people to become His friends. Read: John 15:13-15; Matthew 11:19; [John 6: 57; James 2:23; Exodus 33:11] 1.4. Read about Mary and Martha. They were friends of Jesus. Read: Luke 10:38-42; [John 11:14-15, 34-36] 1.5. Jesus life: When we look at the life of Jesus, we see His purpose. He did what the Father wanted Him to do. This is because Jesus knew the Father and *trusted Him. Read: John 5:19, 30; John 8:28; [John 10:17-18; John 12:49; John 14:10; Mark 1:35-38] 2. Here are the things that make us better friends of God. (Poster 5a) 2.1. When we pray we are talking to God. Matthew 6:5-13 2.2. When we listen to what God says. John 10:27 2.3. When we study the Bible. This is the strongest way God talks to us. Philippians 4:8-9; Ps. 1:1-3 [Colossians 3:1-3,16-17] 2.4. When we *worship God. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22; Matthew 12:7 3. We talk to God when we pray. (Poster 5b) 3.1. Jesus taught about prayer. He said: Do not pray so you will get praise from people. Read: Matthew 6:5-6 Do not pray using empty words. Read: Matthew 6:7-8 3.2. Jesus said this is what our prayers should be like: Read: Matthew 6: 9-13 1) Thank and praise God. (*verse 9) 2) Ask that the good that God desires will be done. (*verse 10) 3) Ask God for what we need today. (*verse 11) 4) Ask God to forgive our *sins. And we need to ask those we hurt to forgive us. (*verse 12) 5) Ask God for the help that we need in our *spiritual life. (*verse 13) 16
3.3. The most important thing in all our prayers is to be honest. Here is a prayer of David from the *Old Testament: Before I say a word, *Lord, you know all about it. You are all round me. You are behind me. You are in front of me. You have put your hand upon me. I am amazed at how well you know me. It is more than I can understand. Where can I go to run away from you? If I went up to heaven, you are there. If I go to the grave, you are there also. If I go to where the sun rises or sets, your hand would still hold me close. If I say: I am sure that darkness will hide me, I will travel by night. Darkness and light are the same to you! Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You. And lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Psalm 139:4-12, 23-24) 4. How God speaks to us: (Poster 5c) As a friend of God, we talk and listen to him. If He is our friend we will do this. Read: John 10:27 These are some of the ways that God may speak to us: 1) God speaks to us in the Bible. This is the strongest way God talks to us. Read : 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105) 2) God may guide us in what we think. Acts 8:29 3) Ask wise people who love God. These people can help us. People who love God and are good friends of God: Acts 8:34-35 4) Things that happen in our lives. God uses circumstances to show us what He wants us to do. 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 5) Things that we cannot explain. It can be by means of an *angel. God can also speak to us in dreams. Or we may see pictures in our mind. This is a vision. We cannot explain them. But they might be a sign that God is speaking to us. Here are some examples from the Bible: Acts 5:18-20 An *angel frees the apostles from prison. Acts 10:9-16 Peter receives a vision from God. Luke 2:8-11 *Angels told about Christ s birth. Acts 16:9-10 Paul has a vision. Acts 16:25-30 God does wonderful works to free Paul and Silas from prison. Acts 12:5-11 Peter escapes from prison in a special way. Acts 9:3-4 A voice from Heaven spoke to Paul. Ex. 3:2 The Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush. Num. 22:28, 32 God talked through Balaam s donkey. 6) Peace in your heart. In your heart, you know when something is right. God will give you peace inside yourselves. John 14:27; Philippians 4:6-7. 17
5. How you know that you have heard God correctly: We must test what we see and hear. Everything that God speaks will agree with the Bible. If it does not agree with the Bible, God did not say it. You can be sure about that. Read: Acts 17:11; James 1:17; [2 Timothy 3:16-17] Maybe you have a vision. In that vision you have sex with someone. That person is not your wife or husband. Is that vision from God? No. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Ephesians 5:3; Jude 1:8. Maybe you think God wants you to get *revenge. Is God speaking to you? No. Read Romans 12:17-18, 21. 6. We study the Bible and think about what we learned. We call this *meditation: Psalm 1:1-3, Joshua 1:8 (Poster 5a, point 3) 6.1. What *meditation is: Think about what the Bible says, all the time. But we will not think of it in a surface way. No, we will think of it in depth. Read: Colossians 3:1-3, 16-17; Philippians 4:8. 6.2. How we *meditate: Ask the *Holy Spirit to show the truth to you. Ask him to give you the desire to *meditate. Think about what you read in the Bible. Read: John 16:13; John 5:37-39. Ask yourself these questions as you study the Bible: 1. What does this passage tell me about God? (If you do not understand the passage, read what came before that passage.) 2. Is there something that I need to learn from this passage? Is there something that I need to do? Is there something that I need to stop doing? 3. Is there a promise for me? 4. Does the passage warn me of something? 7. Praise and *worship God (Poster 5a point 4) 7.1. This is the reason we *worship: We thank God because of who He is and because of what He has done. Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 12:28 7.2. If we truly worship God, we *worship not only with our words. We also *worship God with the way that we live. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Philippians 1:11; Hebrews 13:15-16; [1 Corinthians 10:31] 7.3. If we truly follow God, we *worship God with the way that we deal with other people. Matthew 12:7, Matthew 5:23-24; Romans 15:5-7 7.4. What happens when we *worship: We love God and other people. We do what God wants us to do. We serve God. John 15:14, 17; Matthew 22:36-40 18
8. What you can do now: 8.1. Read and *meditate on Philippians 4:5-7 or Eph. 3: 14-21. Write down what God says to you about this passage. 8.2. Write a love letter to God. 8.3. Write a prayer plan every week. Ask God what you can pray for. Then pray what you think that God has shown to you. Write down what God has said. Your prayer plan might look like this: Monday: *family; Tuesday: friends; Wednesday: *church; Thursday: your country; Friday: world (or a country that interests you). 19
Lesson 6: GOD MADE US WITH A DESIGN AND PURPOSE Most important thought: This lesson discusses why God made us and our great value to Him. We were created in God s image. We are moral beings with mind, will and emotions. God made us this way to have a love relationship with Him and other people. 1. In the Bible we see: 1.1. God has a mind. To create the world and all that it contains requires a mind and thought. In the beginning, God created the skies and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) 1.2. God has a *will. The *will is the power to make moral choices. So the *Lord said, I created man on the earth. But I will completely take away man. I will take away people and animals alike... (Genesis 6:7) 1.3. God has emotions. The *Lord was very sad that He had made man on the earth. God s heart was filled with pain. (Genesis 6:6) 2. God created the universe. A. God spoke, and created: the sun, moon, stars, earth, air, ocean, animals! He made them by just a word. God spoke: "Light!" And light appeared. God saw that light was good and separated light from dark. God named the light Day, he named the dark Night. It was evening, it was morning-- Day One. God spoke: "Sky! In the middle of the waters; separate water from water!" God made sky. He separated the water under sky from the water above sky. And there it was: he named sky the Heavens; It was evening, it was morning-- Day Two. (Gen. 1:3-8 MSG) B. But God fashioned man from the dust of the earth, and woman from the rib of the man. This shows us that people are a special creation. GOD formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive--a living soul! (Gen 2:7 MSG) GOD put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept He removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. GOD then used the rib that He had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man. (Gen 2:21-22 MSG) God spoke: "Let Us make human beings in Our image, make them reflecting Our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth." (Gen 1:26) Man and woman are the most important part of what God created. We are created in the image and likeness of God to rule over all creation. Genesis 1:27 So God made man. He made both male and female. He made them to be like God. Read: James 3:7-9 20
3. God made men and women with a mind, a *will, and emotions: 3.1. Mind (able to think) Read: Romans 12:2, Philippians 1:9 Explanation: We are able to think with our minds. We are able to create new things. God gave us a memory so that we can learn. Then we can teach other people what we learn. God made us able to communicate. We can use complex language and speak to other people. God made us conscious of Him. He made it possible for us to know God. Read: Romans 1:19-20. 3.2. *Will (the power to make moral choices) Read: Philippians 1:9-11 Explanation: We are able to choose our own actions. God gave us a conscience to guide us in our choices. Read: Acts 24:16; 1 Corinthians 4:4-5 We are able to choose so that we can relate with God and other people. Read: 1 Peter 2:15-17; [Matthew 6:33; Matthew 7:7-8, 12] 3.3. Emotions Read: 1 John 4:18 Explanation: Because we have emotions, we can feel happy, joy or deep sadness, fear and anger. Phil. 4: 4-7 4. We make choices. Philippians 4:8,9 We use our mind, *will, and emotions together. In Colossians 3:15-16, notice that in your hearts is about the emotions. Also, notice that wisdom is about the use of the mind. The words teach and warn about are examples of the right choices that we make with our *will. 4.1. If we love another person, we choose the best thing for that person. We use our *will to do that. Read: Matthew 22:37-40. 4.2. Since we have a mind, a *will, and emotions we can choose God. But we can also refuse to accept God. 4.2.1. We can refuse to accept God. Read: John 12:48,49; [2 Timothy 4:3-6]. 4.2.2. We can choose to believe in Jesus Christ. Read: Romans 3:20-22. 4.3. God has no favourite people: men, women or nations. Gal. 3:26-29; [Acts 10:34-35] 5. The reason God created us: 5.1. God made us in His own image, so that we can love Him and other people. Read: Mark 12:29-31; Acts 4:32-33; Colossians 1:3-4 5.2. He has a purpose for our lives. Read: Acts 17:26-28; Ephesians 2:10. 5.3. People are very important to God. Read: 1 Peter 1:18-19; Ephesians 1:7,8 In 1 Peter 1:1,2 we are told the life of our ancestors was not good. God did not want us to live like that. So God sent Jesus to *save us from our bad lives. Jesus died for our *sins. That is how important we are to God. 21
5.4. *Spiritual gifts - God made each of us as a special person. God gives one or more *spiritual gifts to every Christian. We should use these *spiritual gifts to serve other people. When we do this, we can all develop into more mature Christians. Read: Ephesians 1:13 [1 Corinthians 12:7-11] 22
Lesson 7: GOD GAVE LAWS TO US BECAUSE HE LOVES US Most important thought: God gave us the Law. The Law is a list of rules. The Law helps us to understand that God is holy. God designed us to live in a certain way. His rules show us how to live God s way. 1. The most important rule Someone asked Jesus which rule is the most important. Read Jesus reply in Matthew 22:36-40. 2. The *10 Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) The *10 Commandments are God s rules. God gave us the *10 Commandments. They show how He wants us to live. The *10 Commandments give boundaries to us. If we stay in the boundaries, our lives and hearts will be calm. 2.1. Commandments 1 to 4 teach us how to love God. 1. God wants us to love Him more than anything or anyone else. 2. We must not have any other gods in our lives. 3. We must not use God s name in a wrong way. 4. We must rest on the 7 th day. This teaches us rest is important. It also teaches us God will take care of us. 2.2. Commandments 5 to 10 teach us how to love other people. 5. We must respect our parents. 6. We must not *murder anyone. 7. We must not have sex with someone to whom we are not married. 8. We must not steal from anyone. 9. We must not lie to anyone. 10. We must not want the things that other people have. The *10 Commandments are only a part of the Law. Testament. There are many laws in the *Old 3. The real meaning of the laws People did not understand what the laws really meant. So Jesus taught the people the real meaning of the laws. Here are some examples: 3.1. Even if you only hate your brother, you have not obeyed the 6 th rule. The 6 th rule is that you must not *murder anyone. But Jesus said that to even hate someone is breaking this commandment. Read: Matthew 5:21-22 3.2. The 7 th rule is: Do not have sex with someone to whom you are not married. But Jesus said that to even desire another man or woman is breaking this commandment. Read: Matthew 5:27-28 23
3.3. The Law teaches that we must love our neighbour. We must love our neighbour as we love ourselves. [Leviticus 19:18] But the *Jews taught something that is not in the Bible. The *Jews taught that you are to love your neighbour but to hate your enemy. Jesus said that this is wrong. Jesus told the people to love their enemies. Jesus said that we are to pray for our enemies. Read: Matthew 5:43-44 4. God created us for two reasons: 4.1. To bear His image so we would love Him. Read: Gen. 1:27; Matthew 22:36-38 4.2. To live for His glory so it would reflect by loving our neighbours: Read: 2 Cor. 3:18; Matthew 22:39-40 4.3. Jesus said the root of all the Law is these two commandments. 5. It is easy to break the Law If anyone does not obey even one part of the Law, that person is *guilty. It is as if he has broken all the Law. We can think about this in another way. A bad dog has a chain on him. But even if only one part of the chain breaks, the dog can get loose. Read: James 2:10-11. God s laws tell us how to live as God intended us to live. [Luke 10:30-37] 6. Jesus said: I have come to fulfill the Law. He met the righteous requirements. Matthew 5:17-20; John 8:46-47. The Law is there to guide us and to show us the holiness of God. We do not receive salvation by keeping the Law. Salvation is: a. By faith we are saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 b. Salvation is a gift. Titus 3:5-6 c. Are we free to sin? Romans 6:15-18 [Romans 5:1-6] d. What should we obey? John 15:12,17 e. Once we are believers, how do we walk the path of God? Galatians 3:2-14 f. And again we are told: The righteous will live by faith. Galatians 3:11 is saying believers (the righteous) will walk (will live) by faith! g. We are set free to walk in freedom. Galatians 5:1 h. Is the battle over? No. Galatians 5:16-18 [Romans 7:15-19; Philippians 3:12-14] i. How do we win this battle? Lesson 14 and 16 will discuss this. 7. One word sums up the whole Law: LOVE. Romans 13:8-10 [1 Corinthians 13] 7.1. Love is choosing the best for another person. It is a decision. Matthew 22:37-40 7.2. Love can cause hurt, not harm. Example: a doctor gives you a shot when you are sick. It hurts but he is helping you not harming you. Hebrews 12:5-6,11 7.3. Jesus told us we must even love and pray for our enemies. Matthew 5:44,45 24
8. We can only do this with God s help. John 15:4 9. Jesus tells us that if we are His friend, we do what He commands. Read John 15:10-14 9.1. Holiness is a way of being; a way of being with God in covenant relationship, a way of being like God in clean and wholesome living, a way of being God s people in the midst of an unholy and unclean world. 9.2. Read the following Scriptures and discuss: Leviticus 11:45; Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:7-8; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Hebrews 12:14; Matthew 5:48 25
OUR SINFUL NATURE & SATAN 26
Lesson 8: WHY DO WE *SIN? Most important thought: This lesson is about why people do wrong things. The most important point is that people are selfish and proud. God created people to live in a certain way. That is God s design. But many times people do not live by God s design. They live out of their desires, their old self. So they destroy themselves and other people. 1. How sin started. 1.1. This is how *sin started in the world of the *spirits: O shining star, how you have fallen from heaven! You once brought nations down. But now you are thrown down to the earth! You said, I will go up to heaven. I'll raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit as king on the mountain. I will set up my throne on the highest place of the sacred mountain. I will rise above the clouds. I will make myself like God. (Isaiah 14:12-14) God created *angels. They were all good *spirits. *Satan was good, but then *Satan *sinned. *Satan wanted to try and become equal with God. Some other *angels followed *Satan. *Satan and his followers are evil *spirits. 1.2. This is how *sin started in people: God made many animals. But the snake was the most cunning (clever and evil). One day the snake asked the woman a question. The snake asked, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? The woman replied, We can eat fruit from the trees in the garden. But God said, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. If you eat or touch that fruit you will die. The snake said No! You will not die. God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened. You will be like God, knowing good and evil. The woman looked at the fruit. She saw that it was good to eat. And she thought that it would be good to know about good and evil. So, she took some fruit and ate it. She gave some to her husband who was with her. And he ate it. (Genesis 3:1-6) God said to Adam and Eve, do not eat the fruit from one tree. Do not eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve did not follow God. They did what they wanted, not what God said was good for them. Adam and Eve were the father and mother of all people. As their children we received their sinful nature. Rom 5:19a. All people sin, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Christians, too, don t always obey all of God s commands for them. All people have a *sinful nature. Rom. 5:12. Because of their sinful nature and hearts people sin. 2. The heart is where all actions start. (Poster 8a) (People from some cultures say stomach or other body parts rather than heart.) 2.1. That which comes out of a man s heart makes him morally *unclean. 27
What goes into a man s mouth does not make him morally *unclean: Read: Mark 7:14-23. 2.2. God considers what a person is like in their heart. Read: Luke 16:14-15 2.3. The story of the good and bad tree: Luke 6:43-45 If God rules our lives! Good results (good fruit) If we rule our own lives! Bad results (bad fruit) 3. Christ spoke against the *Pharisees. The *Pharisees were *Jewish religious leaders. They studied the *Old Testament. They thought that they kept all God s commands. The *Pharisees said one thing and they did another thing. Jesus said this was wrong. In what ways did the *Pharisees say one thing and do another thing in these passages of the Bible? (You may do this in small groups.) 3.1. Matthew 23:23-24 3.2. Matthew 23:25-26 3.3. Matthew 23:27-28 3.4. [Matthew 6:1-4] 4. The story of the *Pharisee and the *tax collector: Luke 18:9-14 (You may have a group act out this story.) 4.1. Why did Jesus tell this story? Who was He talking to? (*verse 9) 4.2. For what did the *Pharisee thank God? (*verses 11-12) 4.3. What did the *tax collector say to God? (*verse 13) 4.4. What meaning did Jesus give to this story? (*verse 14) 5. Some things that we can see in someone who does not follow God: (Poster 8b) 5.1. The heart is where wrong actions begin: Galatians 5:19-21; [Romans 1:28-32]. Wrong sexual relations (dog) Slander and laziness (frog) Deceit, evil thoughts, ask bad *spirits to help them (snake) Bad anger, *murder (Cassowary) Being jealous, being greedy (pig) Want to be more important than other people (number 1) Stealing (rat) Being proud, being foolish (bird of paradise) 5.2. All these evil things come from inside a person. They make a person morally *unclean. (Mark 7:23) 5.3. People choose the wrong road. Then they become blind to how bad these things really are. Read: 2 Corinthians 4:4 Because of our sinful nature and hearts we sin. It s not Satan who causes us to sin. He can only try to tempt our sinful nature and heart. It s up to us if we choose to listen to his lies or not. 28
All sin starts in our heart. Therefore God needs to give us a new heart. Eze. 36: 25-27 We also have to choose to give up our old way of living, to start to live according to God s Word, according to His design and purpose for our lives (Lesson 6), and according to His laws. (Lesson 7). Read Eph. 4:22-32, Col 3:9,10 God has a better purpose for our life. Here are the results of the *Holy Spirit in our life: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-26 6. Take time to think and pray. Pray about these things: 6.1. Example 1: This is an example of how you can pray. You can use the words in the Bible to pray. Psalm 23: The *Lord is my *Shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He gives me rest in a good place, where the gardens can grow. He makes me strong. He shows me the right road. God does this because He is good. Even when the road is dark, I will not be afraid. Because you (*Lord) are with me. Your rod and staff make me feel brave. You make a feast for me, in front of my enemies. You put oil on my head. My cup is so full that it overflows. I am sure that good and loving and kind things will follow me. They will follow me all the days of my life. I will live in the house of the *Lord forever. This is one way to pray using Psalm 23: Lord, I know that you are my *Shepherd. Help me believe you give me what I need. You give me rest and peace. You give me strength. You show me the good road. When the road is dark I can *trust you. Even when death is close I can *trust you. I am not afraid because you are with me. I can eat a feast with my enemies all around. You are good and loving and kind. I will *trust you all my life. 6.2. Example 2: Read: Ephesians 3:16-18. This is one way to pray using Ephesians 3:16-18: Lord, I ask that You would make me strong with power from the riches of Your *glory. I pray that your *Holy Spirit would do this in me. I want Jesus to live in my heart and life. I pray that my life would be like a plant with roots in the ground of God s love. In this way, I can do everything with Your love. I pray that I will know more of Christ s love. I want to understand that His love is big, so very wide and long and high and deep. 6.3. You can also use these passages from the Bible. (Or choose another passage you like.): 1. Romans 8:28-29 2. Romans 8:35-39 29
3. John 6:37-40 4. Philippians 2:5-11 5. Philippians 4:4-7 6. Psalm 139:23-24 7. Psalm 51 30
Lesson 9: THE RESULT OF OUR *SIN Most important thought: When people choose the wrong road they spoil God s design. Then they suffer the results. The lives of people on the wrong road get worse and worse. God has a better way for us. 1. There are two roads in life. One road is wide. One road is narrow. (Poster 9a) Read: Matthew 7:13-14 1.1. One road leads us to God. a) God made us with a design and a purpose. This was talked about in Lesson 6. If we follow the narrow road, we will come to God and live according to our design and purpose, to give God the glory with our lives. b) God gave laws to us because He loves us. This was talked about in Lesson 7. These laws are good for us. They tell us how we should live and how to follow the narrow road. 1.2. To follow the other road will destroy us: a) The people who do not recognize God s authority: Romans 1:20-22 When we follow this road our lives get worse and worse. b) Hearts that become dark follow evil ways: Read: Romans 1:28-29 c) Love of evil and darkness. John 3:19 d) If we follow wrong desires, they will destroy us: Read: Philippians 3:18-19; [John 3:19-20; James 1:13-15] 2. The bad results of *sin: (Poster 9b) In lesson 8 we learned that *sin comes from our heart (inside of us). 2.1. These are some bad things that people can do by following their own sinful desires: to have wrong sexual relations, to think and do dirty things, to *worship false gods, to ask bad *spirits to help them, to feel hate for others and fight them, to have bad anger, to want to be more important than other people, to want things that others have, to go to parties where they do all kinds of bad things. Read: Galatians 5:19-21. 31
2.2. In this passage we see that God is sad. He is sad when people follow the wrong road. I will sing a song for the *Lord. He is the one I love. It's a song about His *vineyard Israel. The one I love had a *vineyard. It was on a mountain that had good soil. He dug up the soil and removed its stones. He planted the very best *vines. He built a lookout tower there. He also cut out a winepress for it. Then He kept looking for a crop of good grapes. But the *vineyard produced only bad fruit. So the *Lord said, "People of Jerusalem and Judah, you be the judge between me and my *vineyard. What more could I have done for my *vineyard? I did everything I could. I kept looking for a crop of good grapes. So why did it produce only bad ones? (Isaiah 5:1-4) The *vineyard of the *Lord who rules over everything is the nation of Israel. The people of Judah are the garden He takes delight in. He kept looking for them to do what was good. But all He saw was blood being spilled. He kept looking for them to do what was right. But all He heard were cries of suffering. (Isaiah 5:7) The nation of Israel did not follow God. Now the *church is to tell people about God and our salvation from our sins and our darkened hearts: 3. We are offered a righteousness which is not ours. 3.1. We all deserve punishment for *sin. God will judge all *sin. There are two ways to pay (compensation) for *sin. There is our way and there is God s way. Our own way will lead to *spiritual death: Read: Romans 3:9-11; 3.2. Here is the way God made: God wants to give His righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Read: Romans 3:21-26; 3.3. We have a choice. Christians, too, can live their lives doing what is wrong. Read: John 3:16-18; 3.4. God punished Jesus, who had no sin, for our sin, that we might be given Jesus righteousness. Read: 2 Corinthians 5:21 3.5. Jesus took the punishment we deserved for our sin. Read: 1 Peter 2:24 3.6. Jesus Christ was cursed, that we might live. Read: Galatians 3:13 3.7. Consider the kindness and severity of the Lord. Read: Romans 11:12 3.8. Allow the *Holy Spirit to change you. Read: Galatians 6:8; Ephesians 4:21-24; Ephesians 5:15-17; [1 Peter 2:15-16] 3.9. We have been given all we need in Christ: Read: Colossians 2:10-15; Romans 6:19-23; [2 Peter 1:3-8] 32
Lesson 10: WHO *SATAN IS AND HOW HE WORKS Most important thought: This lesson describes how *Satan works. It discusses: Who is *Satan? Where did he come from? What evil plan does he have for our lives? What are his methods to achieve his plan? Satan uses our own sinful desires to *tempt us. If we choose to listen to him, he will come into our lives and destroy us. 1. Who *Satan is and where he came from: (Poster 10a) 1.1. God created *Satan. But *Satan fell from his high position because of *sin. I made you a leader *angel. I gave you that purpose. You were on My holy mountain. You saw My *glory. You were perfect the day you were created. But soon you began to *sin. You harmed people everywhere. And you *sinned. So I sent you away from My mountain in shame. Leader *angel, I drove you out of heaven. (Ezekiel 28:14-16) Read: Revelation 12:7-9 God created *Satan to have a high position and freedom, but *Satan used the freedom for evil things. *Satan chose to work against his Maker. When God created Adam and Eve, they had no *sin. But *Satan twisted God s words. Adam and Eve believed *Satan s lie, then disobeyed God. This gave *Satan power on earth. 1.2. *Satan is the god of this age. This age means the world. This means *Satan is behind the things that work against God. Read: 2 Corinthians 4:4 [*Satan is also called the ruler of this world: John 12:31; John 16:7-11.] 1.3. *Satan aims to destroy and ruin: Be careful: read 1 Peter 5:8. One of *Satan s tools is fear: 2 Timothy 1:7; [Romans 8:14-15] 2. *Satan pretends to do good things to catch us and hurt us: (Poster 10b) 2.1. *Satan is the father of lies: Read: John 8:44 Some people catch fish by putting a small bait on a hook. A hook is a sharp, curved piece of metal. If the fish is hungry it will eat the bait. The bait attracts the fish and the fish tries to eat it. Then the fish gets caught on the hook. In a country called India people catch monkeys. They use a coconut. The people cut a small hole in the coconut. They also attach a rope or a chain to it. Then they put a few small stones inside the shell. When the monkey comes to the shell, the monkey becomes very curious. Therefore, it reaches into the shell to get the stones. When the monkey closes its hand, it cannot remove its hand from the small hole. Now the people have caught the monkey. It cannot get away because the people have tied the shell to a tree. The monkey will not let go of the stones. This will lead to the monkey s death. Wolves are big, wild dogs that live in very cold places. Some people hunt wolves by 33